BOSTON — The Bruins’ morning skate today provided Johnny Boychuk with a chance to skate in a practice setting for a fourth straight day in his attempt to return from a sprained knee. So although head coach Claude Julien wouldn’t give a definitive answer this morning on his lineup for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals with Washington, it’s fairly certain Boychuk will play.

Adam McQuaid, however, is still out. And Tuukka Rask is still not ready to dress as Tim Thomas’ backup, so we’ll see Anton Khudobin on the Bruins’ bench.

Julien also has a decision to make about which forward to sit as a healthy scratch.

•As a perennial Norris Trophy candidate, Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara gets most of the attention when it comes to shutting down opposing snipers. But Chara, at least down the stretch and in the playoffs, has Dennis Seidenberg at his side to help with slowing down the likes of Alexander Ovechkin and his linemates.

Ovechkin might bring a little more brute force than other high-skilled players, and Seidenberg says he and Chara are ready for that.

“Definitely. I mean he’s a tank,” Seidenberg said about Ovechkin after the morning skate. “He’s very solid on his skates and he loves to hit. It’s going to be a good challenge and we’re looking forward to it.”